It seems like not so long ago since the jubilant Chelsea team picked up the trophy after being crowned the winners of the previous season. The English Premier League fixtures for 2015-16 are out already and, honestly, none of us can wait for it to start again!
In the opening week of the league in August, the defending champions will face off Swansea, and Manchester United will host a match against Tottenham. The Blues won over fans and haters alike with their stellar performance in the previous season. With Petr Cech’s alleged move to Arsenal, it will be interesting to witness how they fare without a goalkeeper who had been with them for a decade. However, there have been recent reports of Courtois wanting to move to Real Madrid as well. Eden Hazard was magnificent for Chelsea last season and he will definitely be hoping to continue the same form this upcoming season as well. If rumours are to be believed, Radamel Falcao is expected to move to Chelsea. After his disastrous season at Manchester United, it remains to be seen if he can improve under Mourinho’s watchful eye.
Manchester United have Memphis Depay now, and his pace will definitely prove to be helpful for the squad. They strongly need a good defender, even as the combined efforts of Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind helped the Reds last season. The strikers need to work on their skills, and Wayne Rooney was a good captain last season. Based on his level of determination, it appears as if they could do better than their fourth place finish.
Chelsea play at home on the opening weekend. Last season, they beat Swansea 5-0 in their last meeting in January. On the second weekend, they take on Manchester City, who finished second in the previous season. City, on the other hand, play West Bromwich Albion.
Louis Van Gaal will be trying to win the title, since Sir Alex Ferguson’s last title win in 2013. Post the first match, United take on Aston Villa, Newcastle, Swansea, then Liverpool at Old Trafford on September 12th. The match against Liverpool will be one to watch out for. With Steven Gerrard’s departure, it’ll take time for the fans to get used to the new captain. Liverpool will be looking to avenge last season’s defeat and it should be a well-balanced match. Another defeat that Liverpool would like to avenge, has to be the 6-1 defeat against Stoke City and they start their next season with a match against Stoke.
Arsenal’s first match is against West Ham, and for their new manager Slaven Bilic, it will be important to try and turn it into a victory. The Gunners finished 3rd last season and will be looking to get closer to winning the title this season. Newcastle also have a new manager. Steve McClaren opens against Southampton. Newbies Bournemouth start off its first big campaign with a home match against Aston Villa, Watford will play Everton, and play-off winner Norwich will host Crystal Palace.
With the schedule out, the excitement for next season is mounting up. Every team will have their eyes set on the glittering trophy and it is only a matter of time before we have the champions for the next season. Who will it be?
